Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio asked the district administration to monitor all potential factors that could disturb peace and take preventive measures accordingly.
Maintenance of law and order was the prime duty of the district administration, Rio asserted while addressing the second session of joint conference of deputy commissioners and superintendents of police at Zonal Council Hall, Kohima on Thursday.
The conference was held to review the overall law and order situation in the State and also to chalk out strategies to deal with it more effectively.
Drawing the attention of the district administration on their weaknesses, Rio reiterated his dissatisfaction over the intelligent gathering by the state police and district administration and stressed on the need for better intelligence gathering.
He also pointed out that dobashis(DBs) and Gaonburras(GBs) were to assist the DCs, and should know and report which underground cadre hailed from which village and the faction they belong to.
Rio reminded DCs and SPs that as per the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) framed by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the district administration, police and security forces are to act in close coordination while dealing with all cases of violation of cease fire ground rules by the underground groups.
The chief minister also disclosed that the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) of DAN Government would plan an all-Naga consultative meeting on February 14, which would also include Nagas living abroad on the issue of solving the vexed Naga political issue.
While stating that the situation in the state had been relatively peaceful during the past eight months, Rio acknowledged the coordinated efforts of the State Level Strategy Group, District level Strategy Groups and the efforts of the Forum for Naga Reconciliation, civil societies and the church for the overall improvement in the law and order situation in the state.
He suggested that the District Level Coordination Group comprising members from tribal hohos, local leaders, representatives from NGOs, police and paramilitary forces work in close coordination to prevent or deal with factional clashes and other forms of ceasefire ground rules violation.
He further asked the DCs and SPs to bank on community network of tribal hohos, student bodies and public leaders to preempt any untoward incident.
Earlier addressing the conference, home minister Imkong L Imchen directed the administration and police to take action against those found violating the truce rules without any hesitation.
He said both the NSCN(I-M) and the NSCN(K),which signed ceasefire agreement with the government of India and also agreed to adhere to the ceasefire ground rules, also chose where they would locate their respective designated camps.
“It’s their own agreement and the state government is not a party to it. Anybody who violates their own agreement is liable for punishment and persecution,” Imchen said.
He said the state government believed that such agreements were important for the Nagas and that it was imperative for the government to enforce them while asking the police and district administration to arrest cadres violating the ceasefire ground rules and put them behind bars.
“By doing so, we’re not doing anything wrong. We’re only protecting their ceasefire agreement and the ground rules,” he said.
“Since, they have signed official ceasefire agreement, they are recognized legal entities and are liable to be persecuted. Therefore they are expected to act responsibly,” he added.
He said there was no question of releasing any cadre arrested for violation of the cease fire ground rules.
He urged the district administration to make good use of the SOP and the NSA while reminding them of Union Home Minister P Chidambaram’s call for strict implementation of the ceasefire ground rules during his recent visit to the state.